The present invention relates to a radio pager that receives message information and outputs the information by output operations such as displays, sounds, and vibrations, and relates to a method of controlling the output operations.
FIG. 1 shows the general construction of a system that uses a conventional radio pager. As shown in the figure, a message inputted using a telephone 2601 is transmitted to a radio pager 2604 via a public network 2602, a radio station 2603, and an antenna 2605 by radio waves.
The radio pager 2604 includes a reception unit 2606 for receiving the message transmitted by radio via the antenna 2605, a conversion unit 2607 for converting the received message as necessary, a display unit 2608 for displaying the received message, a message storage unit 2609 for storing the received message, a setting unit 2610, and a fixed message storage unit 2611.
A message is usually inputted using 12 keys that are made up of xe2x80x9c*xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c#xe2x80x9d, and 10 numeric keys of xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d. A letter of Japanese katakana or alphabet can be inputted using a two-digit number.
For example, xe2x80x9c23239912xe2x80x9d is inputted in order to generate a message xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d (SUZUKI). Here, xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d (SU) is expressed by xe2x80x9c23xe2x80x9d, a voiced consonant mark xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d is expressed by xe2x80x9c99xe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d (KI) is expressed by xe2x80x9c12xe2x80x9d. On receiving the radio message xe2x80x9c23239912xe2x80x9d, the radio pager outputs the message xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d on a display screen along with bell or melody sounds which are set in advance.
If a fixed message xe2x80x9cTELxe2x80x9d (PLEASE CALL) is registered in a code xe2x80x9c*0510xe2x80x9d in advance, on receiving a radio message xe2x80x9c23239912*0510xe2x80x9d, the radio pager outputs the message xe2x80x9c TELxe2x80x9d (SUZUKI, PLEASE CALL) along with the bell or melody sounds set in advance.
With a radio selection call receiver disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 3-24827, a transmitter can specify a sound to be outputted at the time of message reception by including information specifying a call notification sound pattern and a sound level in a radio message.
Also, a radio pager 32 in FIG. 2, disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 3-18137, includes a clock unit 32d, a timer time setting unit 32e, and a comparison unit 32f which compares a set timer time of the timer time setting unit 32e and a clock time of the clock unit 32d and outputs a matching signal when they match. A control unit 32c drives and controls a call display unit 32b according to the matching signal. The timer time (time of day) is set according to a timer time setting signal which is included in a calling signal.
However, in these conventional radio pagers, the display unit can only be driven and controlled in accordance with a fixed factor such as a scheduled time. Also, the contents of the control are limited to the bell sound output. Furthermore, it is difficult to cancel or change the contents which have already been set.
The transmitter can only specify the call notification sound pattern and the sound level to be outputted at the time of the message reception but cannot specify a message display pattern and a sound, such as the call notification sound, to be outputted in association with the message display. Thus, there is a problem of restricted flexibility in making a transmission message.
To transmit messages which have the same meaning but subtly different styles for various receivers, it is necessary to create and transmit each message with a different style to a corresponding receiver. This incurs a great cost and time to the transmitter.
In the conventional radio pagers, a message is processed as an indivisible unit, so that a transmission message and a received message have the same contents. Accordingly, to partially change the contents of a message that has already been transmitted, it is necessary to create a whole message again by inputting both the changed part and the unchanged part of the original message. The partial change cannot be made just by transmitting the changed part. Thus, the conventional radio pagers have a drawback that it is troublesome to input messages and to retransmit and reply to the messages.
Also, with the conventional radio pagers, not only the changed part but the unchanged part of the original message needs to be transmitted. This causes the wastes in retransmitting the same part of the message.
The use of a self-made message setting function cannot sufficiently reduce the difficulties in retransmitting/replying messages and the wastes in retransmitting the same part of the messages.
The present invention aims to provide a radio pager that can specify output control including a display, a sound output, a vibration, a light emission, and the like in greater variety and flexibility, and a control method of the radio pager.
The present invention also aims to provide a radio pager whose output control can be determined and changed by the transmitter and a control method of the radio pager.
The present invention also aims to provide a radio pager that can reduce the transmitter""s difficulties in making messages which have the same meaning but different styles improve the flexibility in making messages, and a control method of the radio pager.
The present invention further aims to provide a radio pager that can reduce the difficulties in retransmitting/replying messages and the wastes in transmission, and a control method of the radio pager.
The above objects can be fulfilled by a radio pager, comprising: output means for performing an output operation using at least one of a display, a sound output, a vibration, and a light emission; storage means for storing control information for controlling an output mode that includes at least one of the display, the sound output, the vibration, and the light emission; reception means for receiving a radio message that includes at least one parameter relating to the control information; generation means for generating output control data according to the received parameter and the control information; and control means for controlling the output means according to the output control data generated by the generation means.
Here, the storage means may store any of: at least one program for processing data in the radio message and determining the output mode; at least one set of event information that are each a combination of an event condition relating to the radio message and operation data which is dependent on an occurrence of an event; and at least one template showing a form for a display message where contents of at least one column in the radio message are included. With the above construction, the generated output control data differs according to the parameter in the radio message. Accordingly, the transmitter can flexibly specify the output control including the display, the bell sound output, and the like, by setting the parameter corresponding to the desired output mode.
Here, the reception means may receive the radio message that includes a program identifier as the parameter, and the generation means may process the data in the radio message and determines the output mode according to a program specified by the program identifier in order to generate the output control data which instructs to execute the output mode.
Here, the storage means may store the combination of the event condition for the occurrence of the event and the operation data to be used when the event occurs, wherein the reception means receives the radio message that includes an element relating to the event condition as the parameter, and wherein the generation means generates the output control data according to the operation data stored in the storage means when the event caused by the parameter occurs.
Here, the storage means may store, as the event condition, any of: a reception of a radio message which includes specified data; a coming of a time, and a lapse of a time period since a reception of a radio message.
Here, the storage means may store the template which includes a plurality of columns, wherein the reception means receives the radio message that includes the contents of at least one column as the parameter, and wherein the generation means generates the output control data according to the contents of the columns and the template.
With the above construction, the transmitter can specify the desired output mode by specifying, as the parameter, one of the program identifier, the event condition for the event occurrence, and the template identifier. Since a simple identifier is used as the parameter and the radio message does not need to include a whole display message but only includes data or column contents to be processed by the program, the amount of transmission data can be reduced.
Here, the radio message may include one of a new program, a new set of event information, and a new template, and the radio pager may further include setting means for setting one of the new program, the new set of event information, and the new template included in the radio message into the storage means.
With the above construction, the transmitter can flexibly set the new program, the new event information, and the new template into the radio pager.
Here, the generation means may include: analysis means for analyzing the radio message received by the reception means and detecting the program identifier; read means for reading a program specified by the detected program identifier from the storage means; and creation means for creating the output control data by executing the read program.
Here, the generation means may include: analysis means for analyzing the radio message received by the reception means and detecting the element relating to the event condition; monitor means for monitoring whether the detected element meets the event condition; and creation means for creating the output control data according to the operation data when the event condition is met.
Here, the generation means may include: analysis means for analyzing the radio message received by the reception means and detecting the template identifier and the contents of each column; read means for reading a template specified by the detected template identifier from the storage means; and creation means for creating the output control data according to the read template and the contents of each column.
Also, the above objects can be fulfilled by a control method of a radio pager that includes an output unit for performing an output operation using at least one of a display, a sound output, a vibration, and a light emission and a storage unit for storing control information, the control method comprising: a storage step of storing at least one program that each determine an output mode into the storage unit, the program being stored as the control information for controlling the output mode which includes at least one of the display, the sound output, the vibration, and the light emission; a reception step of receiving a radio message that includes a program identifier as a parameter relating to the control information; a generation step of generating output control data according to the received parameter and the control information; and an output step of controlling the output unit according to the output control data generated in the generation step.
Here, the generation step may include: an analysis substep of analyzing the radio message and detecting the program identifier; a read substep of reading a program specified by the detected program identifier from the storage unit; and a creation substep of creating the output control data by executing the read program.
Here, the generation step may include: an analysis substep of analyzing the radio message and detecting the element relating to the event condition; a monitor substep of monitoring whether the detected element meets the event condition; and a creation substep of creating the output control data according to the operation data when the event condition is met.
Here, the generation step may include: an analysis substep of analyzing the radio message and detecting the template identifier; a read substep of reading a template specified by the detected template identifier from the storage unit; and a creation substep of creating the output control data using the read template and the contents of each column.
With the above construction, the generated output control data differs according to the parameter in the radio message. Accordingly, the transmitter can flexibly specify the output control including the display, the bell sound output, and the like, by setting the parameter corresponding to the desired output mode.